The Trump administration has banned imports of new advanced robots from China. VCG/VCG via Getty Images The Trump administration has announced a ban on the entry of new Chinese humanoid robots into the United States. Officials say the robots pose “unacceptable security risks” to national security. Some policy experts have expressed full approval of the
The Trump administration has banned imports of new advanced robots from China.
VCG/VCG via Getty Images
The Trump administration has announced a ban on the entry of new Chinese humanoid robots into the United States.
Officials say the robots pose “unacceptable security risks” to national security.
Some policy experts have expressed full approval of the ban.
The Trump administration’s crackdown on Chinese robots is generating mixed reactions.
On Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission announced the administration’s ban on new imports of “advanced robotic devices” from China, including humanoids and quadrupeds. The ban also extends to Chinese-made power inverters used in batteries and data centers.
Tuesday’s press release from the FCC wrote that the ban was imposed because these robots “pose unacceptable security risks to the national security of the United States.”
Robots that were already brought to the US before the ban was announced will not be affected by it.
Here’s what smart people in politics, technology and venture capital are saying about the ban.
Chris McGuire, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations
In response to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s X post about the ban, Chris McGuire said it was a “very, very important thing.”
McGuire is senior fellow for China and emerging technology at the Council on Foreign Relations.
He said in his Tuesday
McGuire praised the tactic of imposing import bans on specific fast-growing technologies from China that could pose risks to U.S. national security.
Rush Doshi, director of the China Strategic Initiative at the Council on Foreign Relations
Rush Doshi, director of the China Strategic Initiative at the Council on Foreign Relations, called the ban “one of the most important actions taken yet in support of the American robotics ecosystem.”
Reposting Carr’s X post, Doshi compared the move to the FCC’s announcement last December about restrictions on new foreign-made drones.
“The FCC’s action on drones was a shot in the arm for the domestic drone industry, and I believe it has the same potential in robotics,” Doshi wrote.
Doshi was senior deputy director for China and Taiwan at the National Security Council under President Joe Biden.
Peter Harrell, visiting scholar at Georgetown Law School
Peter Harrell, a visiting scholar at the Georgetown Institute of International Economic Law, called the ban an “important national security measure,” adding that advanced robots are collecting vast amounts of data and integrating into key industries.
“This should provide a substantial tailwind for U.S. robot makers and investors and their allies,” Harrell wrote in X. He said the move will protect the U.S. market and create room for their companies to expand.
Ramez Naam, founder of Planetary VC
In an X post on Tuesday, climate investor Ramez Naam described the new ban as a “double-edged sword.”
“In the short term, the rest of the world will have access to better and cheaper hum/quad robots than the United States,” he wrote. “In the long run, hopefully, the American industry will prosper. But China will have the advantage of a larger market indefinitely.”
He said humanoid robots are a “terrible form factor” for warfare and are unlikely to affect defense. But the ban on quadrupeds, animal-like robots that walk on four legs, could have consequences for defense.
Justin Lopas, founder of Base Power
Justin Lopas, founder of home battery system provider Base Power, supported the ban.
“For those who know, this is a very important thing,” Lopas wrote in X.
The founder worked in manufacturing and mechanical engineering at SpaceX and Anduril before launching his company in 2023.
